Organ pipe



July 30, 1929; J. H. HAMMOND, JR

ORGAN PIPE Filed Aug. 2, 1926 Jil. o

Patented July 30, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ORGAN PIPE.

Application led August 2, 1926. Serial No. 126,488.

This invention relates to improved means for producing music.

The invention has particular reference to enriching the tone produced by a resonating mass of compressible medium such as air.

The invention will be described in connection with an organ pipe, and one feature of the invention relates to means for enriching the tone produced by such pipes.

Another feature relates to means for impressing upon a tone of one predetermined quality or timber, an additional quality or timber.

Another feature relates to the provision of means tuned to a harmonic of a fundamental note, automatically set into vibration by compressional waves of the fundamental frequency.

Other features will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of an organ pipe embodying features of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof, partly in section;

lFigure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows a modified form of the organ pipe of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

In the following description and claims parts will be identified by specific names for purposes of explanation, but it is understood that such names are to be given the widest interpretation which the state of the art will permit.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3 there is shown so much of a musical instrument as is necessary for an understanding of the invention. For producing compressional waves of audible frequency, there is provided an organ pipe 10 having a connection 11 eX- tending from an organ chest or chamber 12. Air or other medium is emitted from the chamber 12 through the connection 11 into the pipe 10 and through an aperture 13, thus setting into vibration the column of medium within the pipe 10. The frequency of vibration is determined by the height of the column of air, that is, by the length of the pipe 10, and determines the pitch of the musical tone thus pro-duced.

On the exterior of the pipe 10, and preferably on opposed faces thereof as seen in Figure 2, there is provided s aced bridges 20, 21. lVit-hin the pipe, and su stantially in alignment with the uppermost bridges, is a reinforcement piece 22, and there is a similar piece 23 for the lower bridges 21. Near the upper end of the pipe 10 is a plurality of pegs 24, and at the lower end of the pipe there is a corresponding plurality of tuning pins 25, and between the pegs 24 and the pins 25 and extending over the respective bridges 20, 21, strings such as 26. It will be noted that such strings are provided on opposed faces of t-he pipe.

The strings 26 are tuned to the musical note produced by the pipe 10 on which they are mounted, or to a desired octave thereof, or some of the strings may be tuned to the fundamental and others to harmonics thereof.

In the modified embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5, there is provided an organ pipe 30 having opposed faces 31, 32 which are bowed convexly to take the strain imposed thereon by the strings. Spaced bridges 33, 34 are mounted thereon, and are bowed to correspond to the con uration of the face of the pipe. The faces o the pipe 31 are also bowed in a vertical plane, as is illustrated with respect to the face 30 in Figure 4.

.In the operation of the invention, air or other medium is admitted into the pipe, as by the operation of a conventional note key or pedal, and a musical tone is produced. The vibration of the resonant air column within the pipe is transmitted through the walls of the pipe and sets into sympathetic vibration the strings mounted on the respective pipe, and there is produced by the strings additional tones of like pitch or a harmonic thereof, but having a string quality. The tone is thus considerably enriched.

When the pipe tone is stopped, the vibration of the strings also dies down, but at a different rate. Thus a modification of the damping of the tone is produced, considerably enhancing the quality of the music.

Various other modifications may be made in structure without departing from the spirit of the invention, therefore it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not to be determined by the illustrative embodiments herein described, but reference is to be made to the appended claims for that pur# pose.

What is claimed is Y l. A device for producing a musical tone of one quality and of predetermined pitch;V

" bridges mounted thereon, and strings supportedon Vsaid bridges and tuned to the note produced by saidp'ipe.

An 'organ pipey for producing a funda! mental note,` and means mounted on said pipe y for producing a harmonic of said note.

4. A pipe organ for Yproducing a sustained musical note,- and means mounted thereon for producing a dumped musical note.

5; v Apip'e'foi producing sustained compres# sional Waves7 and tuned strings mounted on the pipe for producing damped compressional waves. Y

6. A musical instrument "comprising a current of compressional waves in an atmospheric medium and strings associated therewith andadapted to' be vibrated by vibrations of said column of atmospheric medium.

7 A pipe for producing sustained compressional waves and tuned strings mounted on the pipe for producing compressional waves in response to the compressionalwaves produced by said pipe. s s s 8. The .combination with an organ pipe of tuned stringspositioned to vibrate in response to the compressional waves propagated by said pipe, Y f

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New-York, this 16th day of July, A. D; 1926;

JOHN nare HAMMOND, JR. 

